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Grain
Management Announces Definitive
Agreement to Sell Nationwide 800 MHz
Spectrum Portfolio to SpaceX
Oct. 8, 2026
Grain
Management, LLC announced a definitive
agreement under which SpaceX will
acquire 100% of Grain's nationwide 800
MHz spectrum portfolio. The transaction
is subject to FCC approval and other
customary closing conditions.
The agreement
utilizes scarce low-band spectrum to
support next-generation satellite
direct-to-device ("D2D") services,
enabling Starlink Mobile to reach
customers from both the ground and
space. As Grain approaches its twentieth
anniversary, the transaction
demonstrates the firm's ability to bring
specialized capabilities, capital, and
execution to opportunities that can
reshape communications at national
scale.
"For nearly twenty
years, we have built Grain to see
opportunity where others see
complexity," said David Grain, Founder
and Chief Executive Officer of Grain
Management. "Our spectrum expertise
allows us to connect the strategic value
of these assets with the technologies
and operators that can realize their
potential. This agreement with SpaceX
brings that capability to bear at
extraordinary scale, with the potential
to change where and how Americans
connect."
Grain combines deep
sector experience, strategic insight,
and capital to unlock spectrum value,
advance its productive use, and help
operators meet evolving connectivity
needs. Grain's acquisition of the
nationwide 800 MHz portfolio from
T-Mobile in August 2026 extends that
approach – the firm acquired the
portfolio in exchange for cash and
Grain's 600MHz spectrum, then pursued
multiple use cases that would expand
connectivity for American consumers and
create value for the industry, Grain's
investors, and the people whose futures
they support.
"Spectrum is a
finite resource with an expanding role
in the economy," Grain added. "As
terrestrial and space-based networks
converge, we see a new horizon globally
for our spectrum strategy, building on
our experience to address larger
industry challenges and help shape the
next generation of connectivity."
The agreement also
advances the objectives of the FCC's
July 2026 order approving Grain's
acquisition from T-Mobile, which
established a competitive selection
process and a conditional pathway for
D2D deployment. This transaction aligns
with the Commission's efforts to expand
coverage, encourage satellite and
terrestrial network integration, and
promote productive spectrum use.
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